For many years I had a weblog, ارزیابی شتابزدهmostly in Persian, where I wrote my random thoughts, notes, and just observations. It has mostly disappeared from the face of the web, and this is my attempt at recreating it. I will try to post regularly, in Persian and English and get back to the habit of writing regularly.
Author: KhodadadRezakhani
جسته گریخته ها از تاریخ
به صفحه پادکست فارسی من، «جسته گریخته هایی از تاریخ» خوش آمدید.
من در این صفحه، اطلاعات اضافی لازم در مورد محتویات پادکست، از جمله نقشه ها و تصویرهای لازم، و همچنین ارجاعات مربوط، رو به ارایه خواهم داد.
قسمت اول (یا صفر) پادکست را می توانید از اینجا دریافت کنید. این هم «فید» پادکست…
این هم سکه «اردشیر بابکان» یا «اردشیر پنجم پارس» که به نظر من در دارابگرد ضرب شده.
Fall of the Sasanians
A long essay that I recently wrote on the various views of the fall of the Sasanian Empire and the coming of Islam was recently featured on the Mizan Project website. You can read the first part here, and the second part here.
Episode 12: One more on Cyrus and the Origins of His Empire
Episode 12 is out… download it from here, or subscribe to the History of Iran Podcast via your favourite podcast catcher. Here is the feed for it.
… and here are some pictures and maps to help with visualisation. Also, look at this Achaemenid Daric (Achaemenid gold coin) which is very close to the Lydian prototype.
A (bit fanciful) map of the conquests of Cyrus.
A famous vase showing Croesus on his “suicide” pyre…
A Lydian coin… notice that the reverse is just a hollow blank.
View of a part of Pasargadae
Tol-e Takht, the old citadel of Pasargadae
Ruins of one of the palaces in Pasargadae
Cyrus the Great on Livius
Nice, short article on Cyrus. Livius is generally a good site and I would trust most of its contents.
Episode 11: The Kingdom of Anshan and Cyrus the Great
You can download Episode 11 from here… you can also check out the feed or try your favourite podcast index.
This episode will explain the local (mainly Anshanite) context for the rise of Cyrus, as well as telling a bit about the version of the story of the birth of Cyrus told by Herodotus.
1- Cyrus’ genealogy:
- Cyrus’ name is written as Kurush (II) son of Kambujia (Cambyses I) son of Kurush (I) son of Chish-pish (Tespes).
- He is said to be the son of Mandane (daughter of Astyages of Media) by Herodotus.
2- Here is a useful article on the site of Malyan/Malian (ancient Anshan) and the archaeological excavations of it.
3- Another article on the description of Cyrus as presented in Herodotus’ History.
Map showing the extent of the Achaemenid Empire, with the region of Persis showing in dark green,
Drawing of the archaeological site of Malyan (Anshan)
Arial view of Malyan
This, often presented as “portrait of Cyrus” is nothing but a fanciful drawing, based loosely on…
… this relief at Pasargadae. This is known as the Winged Guardian and is actually a composite image.
Bibliographia Iranica
The new episodes of the podcast are on their way. In the meantime, I invite the readers to check out the blog of my friend and colleague Arash Zeini, now a collective effort of him and several other friends, which is dedicated to introducing the new publications in Iranian Studies. The blog is a great resource and I will use it from here on as a resource for the podcast and for the History Page. Check it out here!
Episode 10: the World that Cyrus Conquered
Finally we arrive at the tale of Cyrus, what you have all been waiting for. Get the episode from here…
This is the introduction to the history of Cyrus, looking at the world in which he started his career. I go from the Mediterranean to China and back to Mesopotamia, surveying the Eurasian world in 550 BCE or so, as well as making some preliminary remarks about Cyrus himself.
Check out the Bibliography for items added for this subject.
The world in the sixth century BCE (a bit idealistic, but gives you some ideas)
Map of the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire
Cylinder of Nabonidus
A gold coin from Lydia
Episode 9, the Disappearing Kingdom: Medes and the Median Empire
You can download the new episode form this link…
As usual, the feed is here.
Names of the characters mentioned
Dioces: the “founder” of the Median Empire according to Herodotus (possibly inspired by the Mannean Diakku, mentioned in Assyrian annales)
Phraortes: his son, possibly the chief Kashtariti mentioned in the chronicle of Essarhaddon
Cyaxares: the greatest of the Median kings, according to Herodotus, and the “conqueror” of Assyria. Possibly Umakishtar who is mentioned in the Gadd Chronicle and said by the Babylonian chronicles to be the person who sacked Assur/Ashur.
Astyages: the last of the Median Emperors, possibly Ishtumigu of the Babylonian chronicles.
Modern, Artist’s imagination of the “Hanging Gardens of Babylon”
Apologies and Explanations
In which I explain and apologise..
Medes are on their way…
Iranologie.com 